Startup founders, listen up. If you’re looking to take your online advertising game from the EU to the US (or vice versa), you can’t just copy-paste your strategy.

Trust me.

I’ve seen too many lose a bunch of money and–worse yet–completely muff a transatlantic launch because they assumed the rules and best practices were the same everywhere.

Advertising regulations and consumer expectations are worlds apart between the EU and US. And if you don’t adapt, you’re setting yourself up for wasted ad spend, legal headaches, and a whole lot of frustration.

GDPR: The EU’s Data Privacy Gauntlet

Let’s talk about data privacy. In the EU, the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is the law of the land, and it’s no joke. It puts some serious restrictions on how you can collect and use consumer data for advertising. Forget about the precise targeting and retargeting you might be used to in the US. In Europe, it’s a whole different ballgame.

Just ask SuperMetrics, a Finnish startup that learned this the hard way. CEO Mikael Thuneberg spills the tea: “We thought we could just run the same hyper-targeted ads in the US that killed it for us on Meta and Google in Europe. Boy, were we wrong. Our conversion rates tanked, and our CPA was in the stratosphere.”

Turns out, their EU playbook of broad targeting was a total flop in the US market, where consumers expect ads that are personalized to their interests. SuperMetrics had to go back to the drawing board and revamp their US campaigns to take advantage of Meta’s and Google’s more granular targeting options.

The lesson? What flies in Europe might get swatted down in the States.

The Ad Content Police Are Stricter in the EU

It’s not just about how you target your ads. The actual content of your ads is under way more scrutiny in the EU too. Claims and creative elements that are par for the course in US ads might get you flagged for misleading content or slapped with special disclosure requirements in EU countries.

Luma Health, a US-based startup, ran into this brick wall when they tried to expand to Germany. Their tried-and-true ad images and copy that slayed in the US? Rejected left and right by Meta and Google for “making misleading or unrealistic claims” by EU standards.

CEO Adnan Iqbal breaks it down: “In the US, health ads often use aspirational, emotionally-charged language and visuals. But in the EU, we had to toss that playbook out the window and focus on straightforward, factual ad creative to stay compliant.”

Mobile vs Desktop: Pick Your Battles

Here’s another plot twist: the devices and channels that rule the ad world are different across the pond. In the US, mobile is king, queen, and everything in between. It accounts for a staggering 70% of Meta’s ad revenue. But in Europe? Desktop is still holding strong.

Barcelona-based startup TravelPerk found this out the hard way when they tried to carbon-copy their EU ad budget split between desktop and mobile for their US launch. VP Marketing Gideon Pridor tells the tale: “Our EU campaigns crushed it on desktop, so we figured, hey, let’s do the same in the US. Spoiler alert: it was a disaster. Conversions were in the gutter.”

After some frantic data analysis, the lightbulb went off. They were severely underinvesting in mobile ads for the US market. A quick pivot to beef up their budget for mobile app install ads on Meta and Google UAC, and bam – US conversions shot up by 40%.

Oh, and don’t sleep on WhatsApp as an ad channel in Europe. It’s huge there, but not so much in the US. Localize smartly.

Steal Your Rivals’ Ad Secrets with Transparency Tools

Want to know what your competitors are up to with their ads in the EU vs US? Meta and Google have some handy transparency tools that can give you a sneak peek.

Revealing Competitor Strategies with Ad Transparency Tools

Startup founders, if you’re advertising on Meta and Google, you’ve got a powerful resource at your fingertips: ad transparency tools. These platforms offer a goldmine of information on your competitors’ ad strategies, if you know where to look.

Meta Ad Library: Competitive Intel Unveiled

The Meta Ad Library is a searchable database of all ads running across Meta’s apps. You can look up any advertiser and see the ads they’re serving to audiences in different countries.

Pay close attention to how your competitors tailor their ad copy, visuals, and calls-to-action for different markets. Are they leaning into product features and benefits for European audiences, but using more aspirational messaging in the US? Adhering to specific data usage disclosures in the EU? These insights can inform your own ad creative strategy.

For issue-based ads, the Ad Library shows even more granular details like ad spend, impressions, and demographic targeting. While not all startups run issue ads, this data can still give you a sense of how much your rivals are investing in certain markets and who they’re targeting.

Google Ad Transparency Center: Search Ads Illuminated

Google’s Ad Transparency Center lets you see the search ads your competitors are running in different countries. Take note of how their ad copy and landing pages adapt to regional advertising regulations and consumer expectations.

Are they using more reserved, informational language in some markets compared to others? Highlighting specific compliance practices? These observations can help you craft search ad messaging that resonates with local audiences while staying compliant.

Scaling Ad Intel with Tools

Manually analyzing competitors’ ads across multiple markets can be time-consuming. Tools like SpyFu and SimilarWeb can help you gather this intel at scale.

SpyFu tracks your rivals’ ads across Google, Bing, and Yahoo in different countries. You can see their ad copy, targeting keywords, and estimated spend over time for specific regions.

SimilarWeb lets you compare your competitors’ website traffic sources (including ads) between different markets. This can reveal where they’re investing their ad budgets on a global scale.

Putting Your Ad Intel to Work

Here’s how to turn those ad insights into action:

1. Identify gaps in your strategy. Spot messaging angles, visuals, or targeting tactics your rivals are using successfully in certain markets that you haven’t tried yet. Test them in your own campaigns.
2. Uncover opportunities. Are your competitors neglecting certain countries or demographics with their ad targeting? Seize the chance to capture that untapped audience.
3. Benchmark your ad performance. Compare your ad spend and engagement to your rivals’ in key markets. If you’re significantly underspending or underperforming, reassess your strategy.
4. Anticipate moves. If you see a competitor ramping up investment in a particular region or platform, adjust your own tactics accordingly to stay ahead.

The Bottom Line for Startups

Here’s the TL;DR for startup founders:

1. Audit your ad targeting and data practices to make sure you’re not running afoul of GDPR in the EU. Broad audiences are your friend.
2. Put your ad copy and creative under the microscope before launching in Europe. What works in the US might not fly with EU regulators.
3. In the US, mobile ads are the name of the game. But in the EU, keep a healthy balance with desktop too.
4. Don’t underestimate WhatsApp as an ad channel for your European conquest.
5. Use Meta’s and Google’s transparency tools to spy on your competitors’ ad strategies in different markets.

Nail these differences, and you’ll be well on your way to crushing it with your ads on both sides of the Atlantic. Sounds like a lot of work?

If it was easy, everyone would do it. 🙂